You could ask James Madison, widely considered to be the most heavily contributing of the drafters of the U.S. Constitution:
Man who preys both on the vegetable and animal species, is himself a prey to neither. He too possesses the reproductive principle far beyond the degree requisite for the bare continuance of his species. What becomes of the surplus of human life to which this principle is competent?
It is either, 1st. destroyed by infanticide, as among the Chinese and Lacedemonians; or 2d. it is stifled or starved, as among other nations whose population is commensurate to its food; or 3d. it is consumed by wars and endemic diseases; or 4th. it overflows, by emigration, to places where a surplus of food is attainable.
It would be a non-sequitur to suggest that Jefferson gave a response at all as this quote is from an essay Madison submitted to the National Gazette, not from the transcript of any debate, conversation or speech.
The argument of the letter is that the multiplication of the destitute is the acceptable tradeoff a nation pays in exchange for having as many workers as possible, as many businesses as possible and as many soldiers as possible, all in service of gaining marginal advantages over the other nations of the world with which it is engaged in unceasing, zero-sum competition.
Seems like a contradiction to other ideas expressed in founding documents. Also the flexibility of the system surely shifts the focus from plans of original builders towards means and intents of current thought and executive leaders.
Man who preys both on the vegetable and animal species, is himself a prey to neither. He too possesses the reproductive principle far beyond the degree requisite for the bare continuance of his species. What becomes of the surplus of human life to which this principle is competent?
It is either, 1st. destroyed by infanticide, as among the Chinese and Lacedemonians; or 2d. it is stifled or starved, as among other nations whose population is commensurate to its food; or 3d. it is consumed by wars and endemic diseases; or 4th. it overflows, by emigration, to places where a surplus of food is attainable.